Show HN: How to increase Covid-19 test throughput by 46.5x

[0xfaded]

https://wet-robots.ghost.io/how-to-increase-covid-19-testing-by/

[0xfaded]

This is likely an already known trick. However, if it isn't, it is a way that computer science can be applied to greatly increase testing throughput and proportionately reduce the cost of RT-PCR viral RNA testing.

Can someone with better knowledge either confirm the method is already known, or perhaps comment on whether or not this would even work.

Thank you.

[burning_hamster]

You could make the method more robust by sacrificing a few bits for error correction. For example, by using a Hamming code: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamming_code.

Also, PCR robotor already exist. Not many around though.

[mooneater]

That is assuming you can detect one part positive when mixed with 92 parts negative?